Jed Boards - The journey so far

If you’re not familiar with Jed Boards the best way to start is by visiting their website, particularly their blog section. Follow this up by spending some time on their Instagram. Finally, go to Jay Boston’s YouTube channel and type ‘Jed Boards’ into the in-channel search tool.​

​​All caught up? Alrighty then!

I first became aware of Jed Boards in early 2017. Suitably impressed, I wanted to give the brand some good ink, so I wrote a preview article for That Esk8 Life.

I then volunteered to assist in exhibiting the brand at the Melbourne Technology and Gadget Expo in August of the same year. I did this to be able to spend as much time as possible with the pre-production boards in order to do some follow up articles.

The reason why Jed Boards is so intriguing (and appealing) as a concept is because it’s one of only a handful of innovative and bespoke premium products in the esk8 industry at the moment.

Jed Boards is taking aim at the “daily driver” market - a market dominated by Boosted boards. Jed looks set to boast seemingly Boosted-level quality for a far more reasonable price. Further, it seems as though the Jed may actually out-spec and out-feature the Boosted as well!

In my mind the “daily driver” category is something very specific. It’s not all about performance. Respectable performance is still important, but top end performance is another category of boards entirely. Most of the China head-quartered brands who all share the same/similar generic parts from common original equipment manufacturers (OEM’s) are best suited to second or third board status. A “daily driver,” however, is a replacement for one’s car! Any “daily driver” needs to be focussed on comfort, quality, reliability, durability, convenience and safety.

The Jed could very well be the “Boosted killer” in this category that everyone’s been waiting for. YouTubers are going to have a field day! How many “Boosted killers” can there be? I see some frantic re-titling of videos coming up in the future!

THE SPEC SHEET

The up-coming first generation of Jed Boards will come in three varieties, a dual-drive, an all-wheel-drive (AWD) and the “Jed Jr” short board.

The dual-drive will be capable of a 25mph/40kph top speed. The tool-less, hot-swappable battery packs can generate 15.5mi/25km of range each (recently reduced from 19mi/30km due to a change in the type of 18560 cell used in the production boards). The claimed hill gradient capability is around 20-25%. The dual-drive weighs in at an incredibly user friendly 14.11lbs/6.4kg!

The “Jed Jr” is not a scaled down version of the dual-drive, thank God! The “Jed Jr” is simply the unchanged dual-drive drivetrain transplanted onto a 34 inch single-kick deck for those looking for something a little more nimble and agile than the 42 inch longboard deck that comes standard with dual-drive and AWD models.

The AWD model adds a second drivetrain, totalling one complete drivetrain each for the front and rear of the board. This means there are two separate tool-less, hot-swappable battery packs (one for each end) and four separate motors (one for each wheel). The AWD will match the same top speed as the dual-drive (25mph/40kph), but acceleration, torque and traction will be unparalleled! Range receives a subtle boost to something in the realms of about 20.5mi/33km (again, down slightly from the original specs due to the late cell change). The claimed hill gradient capability for the AWD is around a whopping 30%! The AWD weighs in at 16.76lbs/7.6kg.

Battery charge time is between 45-60 minutes per pack and all boards come with legitimate IP65 dust and water protection.

All Jed Boards come with a 2-year warranty as standard.

THE HARDWARE

Jed has commissioned their own decks directly from the sustainable bamboo forests of Hunan. All decks are 100% vertically laminated bamboo and come with non-abrasive, recycled crushed glass grip. The longboard deck comes in at 42 inches and has a flex profile that sits somewhere in between a Flex 1/Flex 2 Loaded Vanguard. The “Jed Jr” is a 34 inch single-kick deck from the same factory.

The longboard deck has the much desired bow/arch in the centre of the board craved by a lot esk8ers for its rebound and comfort qualities. A subtle W concave is also built into the deck to lock in your feet so you can carve with confidence!

The motors are small 40mm outrunners that surprisingly produce 1200W peak power and 5Nm of torque each! The dual-drive and “Jed Jr” obviously run two of these little guys, whereas the AWD obviously runs four.

The battery packs are small 8s2p Sony VTC5 packs with custom BMS built-in. As previously stated, these packs are true, tool-less, hot-swappable packs! The packs are mounted into a part of the removable enclosure and snap into the base part of enclosure mounted to the deck, connecting the battery to the Jed ESC and the rest of the drivetrain. A USB port has even been added to final design so you can charge your remote or mobile devices on the go!

The cell change from the Panasonic NCR18650b to the Sony VTC5 (due to supply chain issues) has been controversial to say the least, but testing from Jed Boards claims that the loss of range is exchanged for an increase in torque. This isn’t a bad trade-off, as torque was one of the factors lacking a little in the pre-production boards. A dual-drive or “Jed Jr” with one pack in the board and a second in your backpack still means you’re walking out the door with 31mi/50km range on tap! Further, the final packs claim to be 160Wh, which means in many places around the world they are able to be taken on planes as cabin luggage, whilst your board should be checked-in (check local laws).

Some of the traditional longboard hardware included as standard on the Jed Board is some of the best money can buy. Custom Caliber II’s for trucks, Orangatang Purple Nipples for bushings, Orangatang 80mm 83A Kegels for wheels and Jed’s own ceramic bearings with built-in spacers and speedrings, known as Boa Black Belly’s connect the wheels to the hanger.

Boa is a subsidiary company of Jed Boards, which is also producing larger 90mm and 100mm wheels known as Boa Hatchlings and Boa Constrictors respectively. The same urethane company behind Orangatang (Labeda) is producing Jed's Boa wheels, so you know they’re up there with the best!

Something missing in a lot of the other larger wheels on the market is width. A larger contact patch and an off-set core is ideal for esk8ing as this set-up maximises grip and “bites” into the road when carving. Boa Hatchlings and Boa Constrictors have a 60mm and 65mm width respectively. The 100mm Constrictors can even come treated with Harfang Stage 5, if you’re keen for a little off-roading!

THE JED DRIVE

The Jed Drive is what truly sets the Jed Board apart. The Jed Drive is a belt-less, helical gear drive system. Imagine a belt-drive without belts - that’s what the Jed Drive is!

When the drive gear and motor pulley are both fractionally large enough to come into direct contact with each other, the direct tooth-for-tooth connection is what drives the board. Bye-bye belts! The helical connection of the Jed Drive actually ensures three teeth are always in connection with each other at any given time.

The Jed Drive is the secret sauce that makes the outstanding efficiency of the Jed Board possible. There has been a lot of head scratching in the community as to how Jed Boards is able to extract its respectable performance out of such a small battery and such tiny motors. The belt-less, helical drive system is the answer. With less of a bottleneck and next to no rolling resistance, the efficiencies benefitted to the overall Jed Board ecosystem cannot be understated.

Building the boards around the Jed Drive is what has allowed Jed Boards to produce a minimalist, super lightweight “daily driver” that still packs a performance level competent enough topple Boosted off the top of the perch… Or so it seems (we’ll have to wait and see).

The trade-off for this level of efficiency will be getting used to the unique metal-on-metal sound of the Jed Drive.

Gear drives aren’t as unique as you might think. Many custom Trampa’s and super high-end DIY’s out there in the wild are gear driven. Arc boards recently released their V2 line-up of boards all featuring spur gear driven drivetrains. Volume isn’t the issue. Honestly, a lot of belt drives are louder in my experience. The issue is more one of “pitch.” Arc board riders certainly aren’t complaining and Jed Boards has put a lot of effort into ensuring the sound of the Jed Drive is well-contained.

THE REMOTE AND APP

The remote is another unique factor in the Jed Boards ecosystem. A button-less remote powered by a single 18650 cell. It is claimed that the remote will last a month between charges. It is powered on and off by sensors that read when the remote is being held. Similar sensors act as the “dead man” feature, which will actually bring your board to a gradual stop (instead of continual coasting). A custom thumb wheel controls the throttle and brake and the remote also features a custom e-paper display so it can be seen in direct sunlight.

The board, remote and partnering app will work in unison to create a holistic experience, even allowing for turn-by-turn navigation on the remote!

The app will allow riders to fine-tune their board, including acceleration and braking curves to their liking. No need for pre-set speed modes.

​THE PRE-PRODUCTION BOARDS

I spent a whole weekend with four pre-production dual-drives in August 2017. It’s hard to believe that was nearly a year ago!

The boards are no doubt entirely different machines now to what they were back then. The pre-production decks lacked the features the production decks now have. The hot-swappable battery system was not yet finalised and the production remote was still a concept (Maytech remotes were used for the pre-production boards). The only thing that remains vaguely similar from the pre-productions boards to what customers will eventually receive is the Jed Drive, although that has undergone many tweaks and improvements also.

I found the Jed Drive to be super smooth and predictable. The acceleration curve inspired confidence - gradual enough to be safe for virtually any skill level, but aggressive enough to get you out of trouble when you need to.

Two areas when the Jed Drive really excels is in braking and free-roll. The brakes are without question the best of any electric skateboard I’ve ridden. They are “goldilocks zone” good! The braking curve is timed very similar to how it feels when applying the brakes in your car. It’s a familiar curve that no other electric skateboard has been able to replicate. Most esk8 brakes are inherently too aggressive or too gradual - not the Jed Board.

The lack of resistance gifted to the Jed Drive by using a belt-less system allows the Jed Board to free-roll beyond any other electric skateboard. This makes the entire Jed Board ecosystem not only extremely energy efficient and economical, it makes it effortless to kick-push - it just rolls forever!

The Jed Board is the closest electric skateboard you’ll find to something that replicates a true longboard feel.

THE IDEAL "DAILY DRIVER?"

Everyone’s vision of the ideal “daily driver” is different. It’s a subjective concept. For me it’s always been a full size, flexible longboard that’s super lightweight without sacrificing too much range (I need it). Of course this list of needs and wants leads to swappable battery packs. How else can you get decent range whilst keeping the weight down? There is no other way.

The Jed Board dual-drive is a 14.11lbs/6.4kg, 42 inch flexible longboard with true, hot-swappable battery packs that can achieve 15.5mi/25km of range per pack. Carry two packs (one in the board and one in your backpack) and you’re all set for 31mi/50km of range, whilst still enjoying a super lightweight board.

All of the other performance specs, hardware and features all look set to be best in class (or at the very least “enough” for daily use). It may not be for everyone, but for me the Jed Board is the board I’ve been waiting for as a “daily driver,” particularly as how all of this still comes in at a lower price point than a Boosted.

THE WAIT

The wait has been excruciating. Some people have lost the faith. I’ve been on the fence. I cancelled my earlier pre-orders so I could move on to plan B (and C) when it became clear that the Jed’s would still be a while. My intent has always been to come back and make a purchase in full once the boards were in stock and shipping. My pre-order money was refunded with no questions asked.

The frustration is understandable. The challenges the Jed team faces in the manufacturing and mass production game are equally understandable. Perhaps the word “production” was thrown around a little too loosely in the early days? Unrealistic date-setting only exacerbated the issue. The reality is that production only truly began in earnest in March this year when the team arrived on the ground in China. Up until that point everything was just small batch samples and pre-production testing. The word “production” and any mention of any dates should never have entered the equation! Why the “P” word and any dates were even on the lips of Jed Boards prior to arriving in China is a question the community will be asking for a while. They weren’t ready - they were nowhere near ready.

Are delays really anything new? Every major player that’s entered the esk8 market with original and innovative products, custom molds and ground-up engineering has experienced massive delays. Unfortunately the issue of Jed Boards approach to communication has potentially made the issue seem worse than it actually is. They never should have set dates and probably still shouldn’t…

Since arriving in China the team has had to manage further challenges, changes and delays. It’s easy to throw a tantrum and shout, “Where are the boards!” I’ve certainly been guilty of it… But I try to remind myself to keep my “enthusiasm” in-check (not easy) and remember that these guys are working tirelessly to bring a unique and bespoke product to the market. It will take as long as it takes, which is what Jed Boards really should have said from the beginning.